Stand-up guy: Jay Leno is enjoying his return to familiar footing

Published 2:21 pm, Monday, April 27, 2015

It's been a long time since Jay Leno had to struggle to win over an audience. At this point in his career, he faces an entirely different challenge.

"They know who you are, and they are yours to lose," he said.

Since ceding "The Tonight Show" host's chair to Jimmy Fallon in February 2014, Leno has returned in earnest to the work that helped him land that perch behind the desk for more than two decades. "I was a comedian who was lucky enough to get a television show," he said, adding that he always enjoyed doing stand-up. "Now, it's come full circle. It's just a lot of fun."

It's more fun, for instance, than some of his earlier appearances in the 1970s, when he was starting out. There were the shows in state-run homes for the elderly in Massachusetts, where he entertained at resident birthdays -- where his jokes sometimes literally fell on deaf ears. Then there was the time Leno got the chance to open for Tom Jones in Las Vegas -- a 14-day run that not only tested the mettle of this aspiring comic, but the rows upon rows of women waiting to hear from the sexy crooner.

"It was the ultimate nightmare," Leno said, of those hundreds of women who had snatched up tickets for every single show. Every moment Leno was on stage, Jones was not. "I went out there the first night and struggled, and it was not great, but I struggled and got back out there the next night," Leno said, laughing. "Those same 300 women saw the same set ... they saw me 14 times ... if they didn't think I was funny the first time, by the 13th time they certainly didn't think I was funny. They wanted to watch Tom Jones.

"I don't have those experiences any more," Leno said.

Leno is known for his accessibility with his fans, and his "everyman" style, which seems to have been developed from a bit of advice his mother imparted when the comic was young. "She would say `don't make yourself the center of attention ... it's the worst thing that can happen.' "

Such advice undoubtedly led to the strong work ethic that continues to guide him and his tendency to sit back and observe, which not only inspires his comedy, but his delivery, as well. Listening to others, he said, develops a bit more empathy for other people. Even though his humor is sharp, he tends to shape it with a "scalpel instead of a shearing knife."

Leno will be in Stamford on Saturday, May 2, at the Palace Theatre, to perform during its annual gala. It's familiar territory, despite the fact that he has been living in California for more than 40 years. Leno grew up in New Rochelle, N.Y., until he was about 9, when his family headed to Andover, Mass. -- the state where he would stay until the early 1970s, when he graduated from Emerson College.

He recalled visiting Stamford when he was younger, as he had a cousin on Dundee Road. And, early in his stand-up career, he hit stages in and around New York City, including the Treehouse Comedy Club in Westport -- a place he remembers because on the night he performed, the audience happened to include some of the local soap opera celebrities that were avidly watched by his mother. "I had to call my mom."

These days, Leno enjoys the freedom of the open road, literally -- one can see this classic car and motorcycle fan waxing eloquently about automotive tales on "Jay Leno's Garage" on CNBC and the similarly named Web series -- and figuratively. Instead of doing different material every night, as was the practice on "The Tonight Show," the road affords him time to develop what used to be perhaps a 15-second joke into longer and funnier material.

Being at the helm of "The Tonight Show" gave him one of the best gigs, though. "I was in show business without being immersed in it," he said. "The real trick is to make show-biz money and live a normal life. Then you are happy."